Salvage Inspections

Once a vehicle has been repaired,
and before it can be registered, the vehicle must be inspected. Salvage
inspections protect customers because they combat fraud and prevent the sale of
stolen parts. Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 90D Section 20D governs the
salvage inspection process.

At the salvage inspection, the
inspector checks the vehicle’s
identification number, the appraisal report, and Bills of Sale for all major
component parts that were replaced. The salvage inspection is not a safety
inspection.

If the safety inspection sticker
was removed from a vehicle's windshield at the time of the damage appraisal and
replaced with a rejection sticker, vehicle owners may submit the vehicle to any
official inspection station for a valid safety inspection sticker any time after
the vehicle has passed the salvage inspection and the vehicle has been properly
registered. Note that the rejection sticker is valid for 20 calendar days from
the date of inspection.

Salvage inspections are done by the
Massachusetts State Police. A customer may contact the Massachusetts State Police
Salvage Unit for information about whether or not a vehicle may be driven to
the inspection site or must be carried on a trailer.

Prior to the Salvage
Inspection

A customer seeking a salvage
inspection will need to go to an RMVService Centerprior to the salvage
inspection and bring with him/her:

3.
The Insurance Appraisal Report, issued by the insurance company, that
declared the vehicle to be a Total Loss Salvage vehicle. Bills of Sale (receipt
or invoice) proving the purchase of all major component parts used to restore
the vehicle. The Bills of Sale must contain the following information:

a.
Name and address of buyer

b.
Name and address of seller

c.
Date of purchase

d.
Purchase price

e.
Identification information:

i.
New part: description of the new part

ii.
Used part: part number; description; and, VIN, make, model, and year of the
vehicle from which the part was removed (a Certificate of Title of the vehicle
which the part came from shall be accepted as proof of ownership). Customer must present
Bills of Sale (receipt or invoice) as proof of ownership for each major
component part used in the reconstruction, rebuilding or repair of the motor
vehicle, including the following parts: engine, transmission or trans-axle, front bumper, rear bumper, each fender, hood or
engine cover, each door, each quarter panel, deck-lid, tailgate or hatchback,
dash, frame, air bags, assembled items such as a nose (fender hood bumper
radiator support), front clip (cowl frame section, shock and apron structure),
rear clip (rear sheet metal, frame section, roof), short clip (rear clip without
roof), and interior, including seats & dash

4.
If an airbag has been replaced with a used airbag, a copy of the Certificate of
Title for the vehicle that the airbag came from must be provided, regardless of
whether the airbag was purchased in Massachusetts or out-of-state. A "used airbag" is an airbag that
has been removed from one vehicle and reinstalled in a salvage vehicle being
rebuilt.

5.
On all 1987 and newer model year vehicles, the manufacturer's label as required
by the federal motor vehicle theft standard must be attached to the major parts
of new car models designated as high theft vehicles and to replacement parts for
these models.

a.
If federally mandated anti-theft labels are covered with paint, the Inspector
will reject the vehicle, and the paint will either have to be removed or the
part(s) must be replaced.

6.
The receipt confirming payment of the Salvage Inspection fee. This fee should
have been paid at the RMV Service Center prior to the inspection.

Inspection Process

The salvage inspector will perform
a partial inspection of all vehicles that are submitted for a salvage
inspection. In addition, the Registry has created a procedure for the random
selection of some salvage vehicles for full inspection. This procedure is
documented in regulation at 540 CMR 12.00.

The inspector will inspect the Vehicle Identification Number
and odometer reading of every vehicle presented as part of an application for a
salvage inspection. The inspector may check secondary sources on the vehicle to
confirm the Vehicle Identification Number and examine the exterior of the
vehicle to verify that it conforms to the year, make, model, and color of the
motor vehicle identified in the application and supporting documents.

Using the random selection process,
the inspector will select a certain number of vehicles to undergo a full
inspection of the major component parts which have been repaired or replaced as
part of the rebuilding process. The inspection will verify that:

•The
vehicle's parts have not been removed, falsified, altered, defaced, destroyed,
or tampered with

•The
vehicle information contained in the application and supporting documents is
true and correct

In addition to the vehicles
randomly selected for a partial inspection, any vehicle that does not possess a
vehicle identification number will be required to undergo a full inspection. If
a customer removes a vehicle from the inspection facility after being informed
that the vehicle has been selected for a full inspection, but prior to such
inspection, an Inspector may withhold the customer's original documents and
forward such documents to the Registrar. The Registrar may refuse to issue a
Title for such vehicle.

If the customer requests that the
original documents specified in this section be returned to him/her, he/she must
provide photocopies of the documents. The salvage inspector will retain the
photocopies and stamp all of the original documents "Submitted for Salvage
Inspection" to deter the re-use of original bills of sale or receipts.